On this day: Born April 9, 1957: Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE OF THE LATE SEVE BALLESTEROS PRACTISING AND PLAYING IN VARIOUS TOURNAMENTS / EXTERIORS OF HOSPITAL BALLESTEROS STAYED AT / BALLESTEROS AT NEWS CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH THE SEVE BALLESTEROS FOUNDATION WITH SOUNDBITE / FOOTAGE SURROUNDING BALLESTEROS' DEATH AND HIS FUNERAL

"I want to contribute to fight this disease. The research, so other people can benefit, is worth fighting. It is what I have done and what I will continue doing."

8. BALLESTEROS STANDING AND MAKING AN EMBRACING GESTURE WHILE BEING APPLAUDED

PEDRENA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 11, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

9. VARIOUS OF BANNER WITH SPANISH FLAG READING (Spanish): "THANK YOU SEVE"

10. VARIOUS ITEMS LAID OUTSIDE BALLESTEROS' HOUSE IN TRIBUTE FOLLOWING HIS DEATH

11. EXTERIOR OF SAN PEDRO CHURCH WHERE FUNERAL MASS TOOK PLACE/PEOPLE AND MEDIA OUTSIDE

12. VARIOUS OF FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ARRIVING AT CHURCH / SEVE'S OLDEST SON, MIGUEL, HOLDING URN CONTAINING SEVE'S ASHES

13. SIX-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION NICK FALDO ARRIVING AT CHURCH

14. WREATHS OUTSIDE CHURCH

15. 2012 RYDER CUP WINNING CAPTAIN JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL LEAVING CHURCH

16. SEVE'S BROTHER BALDOMERO HOLDING URN LEAVING CHURCH

STORY: Renowned for audacious shot making, and an infectious smile twinned with a fierce competitive edge, Seve Ballesteros revolutionised golf in Europe and remains one of the most captivating figures in the game even nine years since passing away.

The son of a farmer, the Spaniard honed his skills on the beaches of Santander by hitting stones with sticks before taking the sport by storm aged 19 at the 1976 British Open, leading the tournament for three days before coming second.

He delivered an even more impressive performance at the Open three years later to win the first of five majors in the space of nine years, his show-stopping moment coming when he birdied on the 17th hole despite teeing off into a row of parked cars.

That escape act earned him the nickname 'the Car Park Champion' and cemented his reputation for outlandish shots which Ben Crenshaw summed up by saying "Seve plays shots I don't even see in my dreams".

Jack Nicklaus, a winner of a record 18 majors, would later claim Ballesteros was responsible for the greatest shot he had ever seen, a 210-metre three wood from a bunker at the 1983 Ryder Cup.

Ballesteros overtook Nicklaus as the youngest ever winner of the Masters in 1980, also becoming the first European player to win the tournament, although his most famous win came back in Britain at the competition that launched his career.

His final putt at the 1984 Open clinched victory after a tense battle with Tom Watson and sparked one of the most iconic celebrations in sport, Ballesteros relentlessly punching the air while shouting in Spanish "I got it in".

The celebrations from the crowd were no less wild, which spoke of his popularity.

Ballesteros could not please everyone, though, making enemies with a series of American opponents in the Ryder Cup, a tournament he helped transform from a one-sided event into one of sport's greatest spectacles.

Paul Azinger labelled the Spaniard "the king of gamesmanship" after a dispute over a scuffed ball in the 1991 tournament. Ballesteros bit back by remarking "The American team has 11 nice guys. And Paul Azinger."

Azinger's partner Chip Beck meanwhile accused Ballesteros of coughing during his backswing. The Spaniard's defence that he had allergies convinced no-one.

Ballesteros helped Europe win five Ryder Cups, his crowning glory coming when he captained the team to victory in 1997 on home soil, roaring encouragement to his charges as he whizzed across the Valderrama course on a golf cart.